Trees

Kigelia africana

Botanical name	Kigelia africana
Other names	Sausage tree; worsboom (Afrikaans); umvunguta (Zulu)
Family	Bignoniaceae
Dimensions	A medium to large deciduous (in dry climates) tree of up to 25 m with a rounded to spreading crown
Description of stem	Brown or grey, rough, may be flaky in older trees
Description of leaves	Leathery, opposite or in whorls, compound along a single axis with a terminal leaflet (or imparipinnate), clustering towards the ends of twigs; leaflets oblong, hairy, yellowish green above, paler below, margins usually entire or slightly scalloped
Description of flowers	Large asymmetric, maroon, cup-shaped flowers with five velvety recurving and wrinkled petal lobes, asymmetric, hanging in long sprays, sometimes nearly a meter long; contains much nectar and give off an unpleasant odour; the flower usually lasts for a day only, only one per spray succeeds in being fertilised; flowering time is spring; pollination is said to be done by bats
Desciption of seed/fruit	Conspicuous oblong, grey fruit, resembling a huge sausage hangs down from long, rope-like peduncles; usually 50 cm long and nearly 20 cm wide; noticeable lenticels are spread along the surface; the unripe fruit may weigh 10 kg and contains a fibrous pulp holding many seeds
Description of roots
Variation
Propagation and cultivation	Grows from seed or truncheons; water well and plant in warmer climates
Tolerances	Frost sensitive
Uses	Flowers and the fruits are eaten by game when they drop from the tree; a very suitable tree for large gardens and parks; the fruit is said to yield a medicine for stomach complaints, rheumatism and syphilis; the seeds are sometimes eaten by people in times of shortage and used in beer fermentation; a skin care gel is marketed for conditions including psoriasis and eczema; dugout canoes (makoros) are made of the trunk as the wood is said not to crack easily; the roots are reported to yield a yellow dye
Ecological rarity	Not threatened
Pests and diseases
Other	Established in places like Oudtshoorn (in spite of the winter temperatures), Rio de Janeiro, Panama, California, Hawaii and India
Location	Open woodland, river banks
Distribution (SA provinces)	Kwazulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, Limpopo
Country	South Africa, Swaziland, Mozambique, Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia, Somalia, Eritrea

Kigelia africana

Leucosidea sericea

Botanical name	Leucosidea sericea
Other names	Oldwood; ouhout (Afrikaans); umtshitshi (Zulu)
Family	Rosaceae
Dimensions	A straggling shrub or a small, evergreen tree of around 4 m in height, occasionally reaching 7 m; multistemmed and may become 5 m wide
Description of stem	Brown flaking bark on irregular and gnarled trunks, young branches have hairy stipules remaining on them
Description of leaves	Alternate, compound with about four pairs of leaflets as well as a terminal one; dark green on top, lower surface greyish and covered in silky hairs; leaflets obovate; margins serrated, tend to curl inward from the sides; the leaf veins are markedly sunken on the upper surface
Description of flowers	Clustered in terminal sprays, five yellow to light-green petals, appearing in spring into summer
Desciption of seed/fruit	Clusters of small fruits at the flower base
Description of roots
Variation
Propagation and cultivation	Grows from seed or cuttings, hardy and fast-growing
Tolerances	Frost resistant
Uses	Firewood; a paste from the leaves is said to be used in the treatment of ophthalmia in Kwazulu-Natal; browsed by livestock and game; planted in gardens as hedges and as bonsai
Ecological rarity	Common, may invade in areas where soil neglect has occurred
Pests and diseases
Other
Location	Occurring on grassy slopes, in bushkloofs and along river banks
Distribution (SA provinces)	Eastern Cape, Free State, Kwazulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, Limpopo, Gauteng and North West
Country	South Africa, Lesotho, Swaziland, Zimbabwe

Leucosidea sericea leaves: Photographed by Johannes Vogel

L. sericea stem : Photographed by Johannes Vogel

Maerua cafra

Botanical name	Maerua cafra (SA No 133)
Other names	Witbos (Afrikaans); bush-cherry
Family	Capparaceae
Dimensions	Woody shrub or small tree, occasionally 9 m tall
Description of stem	Light grey to dark brown; young branches marked with lenticels
Description of leaves	Digitately compound with three to five obovate leaflets, dark green and densely packed; shiny, glabrous; margin entire, sometimes notched around the apex, a hair-like tip
Description of flowers	Large number of conspicuous white stamens, greenish towards the base over four short green sepals and at the tips, petals absent; flowers appearing in terminal clusters during September to December
Description of seed/fruit	Oval green berry on a single stalk, October to December
Description of roots	Thick, tuberous
Variation
Propagation and cultivation
Tolerances
Uses	Leaves browsed by game; fruit eaten by birds; the roots are said to be ground up as a chicory substitute in coffee
Ecological rarity
Pests and diseases
Other	The unusual spelling of cafra is due to early recorded naming habits
Location	Wooded areas, bnushveld and rocky ridges
Distribution	Gauteng; Mpumalanga; Northwest; Mpumalanga; Kwazulu-Natal; Eastern Cape
Country	South Africa, Zimbabwe

Maytenus undata

Botanical name	Maytenus undata
Other names	Koko tree; South African holly; kokoboom (Afrikaans)
	Celastraceae
Dimensions	An evergreen, often a much-branched shrub of around 3m; occasionally in dense forest conditions it may be an erect, single-stemmed tree of four to five times that height
Description of stem	The bark is dark grey to grey-brown and smooth, becoming rough with age and flaking in square patches; young twigs purplish
Description of leaves	Variable leaf forms, although the toothing of the edges is a characteristic feature; ovate, oblong, leathery, pale green or greyish, although sometimes dark green; a dark mark at the tips of the leaf toothing
Description of flowers	Small greenish yellow or pinkish white flowers in axillary clusters appear through spring and summer
Desciption of seed/fruit	Dehiscent reddish brown, three-lobed capsules expose bright yellow seeds
Description of roots
Variation	A very variable species, partly dependent on the area in which it grows
Propagation and cultivation	Grown from seed or cuttings, best in forest conditions with much leaf material or compost in the soil and regular watering
Tolerances	Better in medium to higher rainfall areas
Uses	Garden tree or shrub that attracts fruit-eating birds; the wood is used for making smaller items such as tool handles
Ecological rarity	Common
Pests and diseases
Other
Location	Bushveld, riverine bush, forest edges and in dense forests
Distribution	Eastern Cape, Kwazulu-Natal, Free State, Gauteng, North West, Limpopo, Mpumalanga
Country	South Africa, Lesotho, Swaziland, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Tanzania, Kenya, Madagascar, The Comores, Ethiopia, Somalia, Yemen

Mimusops zeyheri

Botanical name	Mimusops zeyheri (SA No 585)
Other names	Red milkwood; moepel (Afrikaans)
Family	Sapotaceae
Dimensions	Medium-sized, erect tree, however, often only a large shrub; dense leafage and full, rounded aspect
Description of stem	Dark brown, smooth when young, fissured on old trunks
Description of leaves	Variable form, often oblong to elliptical, dark green above, lighter below, margin entire, attenuating towards the apex; petiole over 2 cm
Description of flowers	Cream-coloured , star-shaped in axillary clusters, may occur throughout the summer months
Description of seed/fruit	Green ovoid and fleshy fruit turns to yellow-orange upon ripening; contains one to for seeds; the calyx persists noticeably on the fruit
Description of roots
Variation
Propagation and cultivation	A good garden tree in well-drained soil in summer rainfall areas free of frost; slow growing
Tolerances	Frost tender; drought resistant
Uses	Edible fruit, a garden plant
Ecological rarity	Not threatened
Pests and diseases
Other
Location	Occurs in rocky hills, medium to higher rainfall wooded areas and bushveld
Distribution (SA provinces)	Gauteng, Limpopo, Northwest, Mpumalanga, Free State
Country	South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Swaziland, Zambia
Info	Palgrave

Trees

Kigelia africana

Leucosidea sericea

Maerua cafra

Maytenus undata

Mimusops zeyheri

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